Suspenders.



No. a77,a4|. Patented 'luly 2, Hill.

A. m. ZIEGLER.

SUSPENDERS.

(Application filed July 9, 1900.

(No mum Ira/e718??? 7. #976 d IY Ziegler by I I W3.

UN ITED STATES AT ENT Fries;

ALFRED M. ZIEGLER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SUSPENDERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters .Patent No. 677,841, dated July 2, 1901.

Application filed July 9, 1900.

T aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED M. ZIEGLER, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Suspenders, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the production of a novel connection for use in the back of suspenders, it joining the usual shoulder-straps with the back strap, the aim of my invention'being to provide a compensating connection or one adapted to instantly adapt itself to shoulder motions.

In accordance with my invention I connect the ends of the shoulder-straps and the back end of the suspender by arigid-trussed swinging and sliding loop, the latter moving with relation to the back strap as the loop adapts itself to unequal shoulder motions and at the same time the loop sliding with relation to the shoulder-straps, the connection and disposition of parts being such that the loop swings or moves about a fixed center of motion and maintains the perpendicular distance between each shoulderstrap at the point where it connects with the loop and the vertical line of resistance of the back end equal in all positions of the loop, so that the shoulder-straps acting always on equal leverarms on opposite sides of the back end will readily cause the loop to adjust itself under slightly unequal strains and prevent jamming thereof at all times; My loop, that it may operate as specified, presents three arcs and a strengthening memberviz., a central arc to afford connection with the back strap, and at each side thereof an arc the reverse of the central are, each side are being opposed to the central arc and each serving to connect with one of the shoulder-straps, and a brace or strengthening member which connects the ends of the side arcs.

My invention in suspenders therefore consists in shoulder-straps, a back end, and a rigid-trussed swinging and sliding loop or link moving about afixed center of motion loosely connecting said straps and end, where- Serial No. 221896. (No model.)

by unequal shoulder motions may be compensated for by the sliding and swinging motion of the link with relation to the back end.

- Figure 1 shows a sufficient portion of the back of a pair of suspenders with my improvements added to enable my invention to be understood. Fig. 2 is a section in the line at,

Fig. I. Fig. 3 is a rear side view, and Fig. 4 shows'the loop B detached.

- In the drawings, A A represent shoulderstraps having, as shown, metallic end pieces a- 61., provided with hooks 01. a of arc shape where they engage the loop B. The back end 0, which may be of any suitable construetion so long as it presents two portions having suitable buttonholes to engage buttons at the back of the waistband, has at its upper end a hook or other usual eye 0, which is ofa peculiar form and is sustained upon the loop 13, as hereinafter described. The loop B is a rigid metallic loop and is in the nature of compound or double-trussed loop, it having the two end arcs b b, which are engaged, respectively, by the hooks a a the central are 17 which is approximately a semicircle and on which is supported the eye 0 of the back end 0, and the brace or strengthening member 79 which connects the ends of the arcs Z) b, as seen in Fig. 4. The eye 0 incloses both the are 12 and the brace or strengthening member If, the portion of the eye which bears upon the arc 13 being broad and curved to fit the curvature of the are 19 as plainly seen in the drawings. The function of the strengthening member b is to make the loop perfectly rigid and stifi, even when subjected to a maximum strain, the said strengthening member acting as a truss member and making the loop what might be called a trussed loop.

A loop constructed as above described will withstand any strain to which it may be sub jected without bending or buckling. The back end is thus loosely suspended on the middle are b of the loop, and the two reverse arcs b b at opposite sides of the middle are have connected with them loosely the shoulder-straps, and since the'central are 19 is ap proximately a semicircle and the eye 0 is curved to fit the same it will be evident that any unequal shoulder motion will cause the said loop to slide through the eye 0, and thus swing it with reference to the back piece, as plainly seen in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the broad bearing portion of the eye by its engagement with the semicircular form of the are 1) cansing the said loop to move bodily in the arc of a circle about a fixed center, which is the center of the semicirculararc. Upon reference to Fig. ait will be seen that the center of the semicircular are 6 is below the upper portions of the arcs b b, and therefore the center of'motion of the loop or link is between the upper and lower portions thereof,-and by reason of the fact that the radius of the are I) is comparatively small and the said loop swings in the are of a circle the motion thereof in compensating for unequal shoulder motion will be smooth and easy. This swinging and sliding motion of the loop B operates to not only vary the position of the ends of the shoulderstraps in a longitudinal direction to thereby compensate for the unequal shoulder motion, but because of the rigidity of the said trussed loop the ends thereof are retained at a constant distance apart. Hence such swinging movement gives to the ends of the shoulderstraps a lateral movement, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, whereby the suspenders as a whole may perfectly accommodate themselves to the movements of the body of the wearer.

The structure may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of my invention.

From the construction described it will be noted that the central arc is wholly between the end arcs to which the shoulder-straps are connected and that the curve and disposition of these parts is such that in all positions of the sliding loop under the varying strains and unequal'movement imparted thereto the lever-arms of the end arcs positively remain the same with respect to the connection with the back end. In other words, as the loop slides through the eye 0 the perpendicular distance between the hook 6L3 and the line of resistance of the back end, which may be assumed to be the line a: w, for instance, in Fig. 1, will be the same as the perpendicular distance between the hook d and said line x 50, the effect of which is that the loop will always yield or slide through the eye 0 under slight changes of strain on the shoulder-straps and may never become jammed or inoperative.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In suspenders, shoulder-straps, a back end and a rigid loop connecting said shoulderstraps and back end, said rigid loop comprising two end arcs to which the shoulder-straps are connected, and a central are between the two end arcs, and a sliding connection between the said central arc and the back end, the curve and disposition of parts being such that the lever-arms of the end arcs with respect to the back end remain substantially the same throughout different positions of the loop.

2. In suspenders, shoulder-straps, a back end and a rigid loop connecting said shoulderstraps and back end, said rigid loop comprising two end arcs to which the shoulder-straps are connected, a central are between the two end arcs, and a brace joining the two end arcs, and a sliding connection between the said central arc and the back end, the curve and disposition of parts being such that the lever arms of the end arcs on either side of the back end remain substantially equal throughout different positions of the loop.

3. A suspender comprising in its construction shoulder-straps provided with hooks, and a back piece provided with an eye, and a rigid loop slidably connecting the hooks with the eye, said loop having two end arcs in engagement with the hooks and a central arc in sliding connection with the eye, the said central are being curved and disposed with relation to the end arcs to maintain the leverarms of the end arcs on opposite sides of the back piece substantially equal throughout different positions of the loop whereby the loop may readily adjust itself under slight varying strains on the shoulder-straps.

t. In suspenders, shoulder-straps, a back end and a rigid loop connecting said shoulderstraps and back end, said loop having at its end arcs which are loosely connected to the ends of the shoulder-straps, and in its central portion a curved back forming approximately a semicircle, the back end having an eye suspended on said semicircular curve, said eye having a broad bearing surface which is curved to it the said semicircularcurve whereby unequal shoulder motion causes the loop to slide through the eye and swing bodily in an arc of a circle the center of which is the center of the semicircular are.

5. In suspenders, shoulder-straps, a back end and a rigid loop uniting the shoulderstraps and back end, said loop presenting at each end two similar upwardly-curved portions, means for loosely connecting the same to the shoulder-straps, and a central downwardly-curved portion forming a semicircle upon which the eye on the back piece is supported, said eye having a broad bearing-surface and being fitted to a semicircular curved portion, the construction being such that unequal shoulder motion causes the loop to swing bodily through the eye on the back end in the arc of a circle whose center is the center of the semicircle.

6. In suspenders, shoulder-straps, a back end and a rigid loop, said loop having at its ends upwardly-curved arcs which are loosely connected to the ends of the shoulder-straps, and in its central portion a downwardlycurved are forming approximately a semi circle the center of which is below the upper portions of the end arcs, the back end hzw- In testimony whereof I have signed my ing an eye suspended on said semicircular nameto this specification. in the presence of IO portion and provided with a broad bcaringtwo'subscribing witnesses. surface, said bearing-surface being curved to ALFRED M. ZIEGLER 5 fit the semicircular portion of the loop, wherel a by unequal shoulder motions cause the loop to swing bodily in an arc whose center is the center of the semi-circular portion.

Witnesses:

GEo. W. GREGORY, MARGARET A. DUNN. 

